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"Creation,
Fall, and Atonement"
LaMar E. Garrard, in Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in Scripture: Volume Seven: 1 Nephi to Alma 29 (SLC: Deseret Book Company, 1987), pp. 86-102.
When Joseph Smith lost the first 116 pages of manuscript, upon which was written his translation from the abridgment of the large plates of Nephi, he was forbidden by the Lord to retranslate from this same record in order to replace the lost manuscript. Rather, the Lord instructed him to translate from another record, the small plates of Nephi, which covered the same period of time down to the reign of King Benjamin. (D&C 10:1-50.) Evidently the Lord had always intended that our generation would ultimately receive the translation from the small plates of Nephi, for he explained to Joseph that they "do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate the first part of the engravings of Nephi." (D&C 10:45, emphasis added.) The first two chapters of 2 Nephi in our present Book of Mormon are part of the translation from these small plates of Nephi, which the Lord in his wisdom intended that our generation should have.
In the first chapter of 2 Nephi, Lehi reminded his sons how merciful God had been to save them from the destruction of Jerusalem by leading them to a land of promise. He told them that their land was "a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands," a land of liberty reserved for him and his seed and "those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord." (2 Ne 1:5.) However, he gave a solemn warning to his sons as well as to their posterity who would inhabit that land: "If the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them." (2 Ne 1:10.)
Not only was Lehi warning his sons, but it seems he was also warning the modern generation. (D&C 10:49-51; 2 Ne 1:5-7.) In the very next chapter Lehi gave a great doctrinal discourse on the purpose of life, the creation of the earth, the fall of man, and the atonement of Christ. These things that Lehi taught contradict many false teachings and philosophies prevalent in our generation. Accepting these false ideas and philosophies can lead us to lose faith in the validity of the word of God as found in the scriptures. This in turn leads to a disregard for the commandments of God, which come by revelation. Hence, it seems that the Lord wanted this great discourse in chapter 2 to follow the warning given in chapter 1. As modern readers carefully and prayerfully read these two chapters and gain a testimony of them through the power of the Holy Ghost, they are warned and fortified against the false teachings and theories, proposed in our modern day that would lead to the breaking of God's commandments.
The Creation
There is a tendency for people in our generation to discount the "special creation" account of the origin of our heaven and earth as related in the Bible. The modern trend is to accept a "naturalistic" or "mechanistic" view of the origin of our solar system, including our earth and all things upon it. Such a view proposes that these things came into existence by chance -- by the strict operation of "natural law" rather than by God's purposes being fulfilled as a result of his wisdom and power. This mechanistic view looks upon natural law as eternal or self-existent and as determining absolutely what happens to physical matter over a given time. There is no allowance for a divine or supernatural power of any kind over physical matter. Such a view leaves no room for a God who has all knowledge and who thinks and plans (no divine purpose in the universe); for a sovereign God who is all powerful and who is the author of natural law (a God who has control or power directly over physical matter); or for miracles or divine intervention (God cannot change or revoke natural law). This "mechanistic" view also eliminates the spiritual realm in the universe wherein spirit matter (with "intelligence" [or made of intelligence--RLM]) can influence or control physical or other spirit matter. This assumes that the spirit matter does not exist; people, animals, and plants do not have spirits; there is no such thing as a God with a spirit; and there is no influence whatsoever from God to the spirits of people or to anything else in the universe. Obviously this view also eliminates revelation, so there can be no such thing as commandments from God. Such a view relegates man (and other "living" creatures) to a position of being mere physical machines with no agency or freedom to act by themselves. They can only be acted upon, since all actions or events are determined completely by preceding physical events and subsequent operation of natural law.
A proponent of this mechanistic viewpoint was the renowned philosopher and logician Bertrand Russell. He claimed that this view emerged as a result of the growth of the scientific outlook of the eighteenth century: "Out of the work of the great men of the seventeenth century a new outlook on the world was developed.... I think there were three ingredients in the scientific outlook of the eighteenth century that were specially important: (1) Statements of fact should be based on observation, not on unsupported authority. (2) The inanimate world is a self-acting, self-perpetuating system, in which all changes conform to natural laws. (3) The earth is not the center of the universe, and probably Man is not its purpose (if any); moreover, 'purpose' is a concept which is scientifically useless. These items make up what is called the 'mechanistic outlook' which clergymen denounce."
In contrast to this mechanistic outlook, Lehi declared that he had gained knowledge from sources (Russell's "unsupported authority") other than by observation through the natural senses. These sources were the scriptures and personal revelation. (2 Ne 1:4, 6; 2:17.) From these sources he declared that there is a God in heaven who -- with a definite purpose in mind -- created both the heavens and the earth, including people and all other living things: "My sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air [note the order, man first -- RLM], and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition.... Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself." (2 Ne 2:14-16; emphasis added.)
Lehi especially wanted his sons to understand that we can act for ourselves, which implies that we have spirits to animate our bodies (a compound being). There is much more to us than just a physical machine with no spirit (one body), subject only to natural law. Such a physical machine would act only according to natural law, for without a spirit it could not act for itself. Lehi elaborated on this theme by telling us that if the universe were strictly physical (one body) rather than physical and spiritual (compound), there would have been no purpose in its creation. His explanation that there must be a spiritual realm as well as a physical one (compound in one) is as follows: "Wherefore all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body, it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God." (2 Ne 2:11-12, emphasis added.) [Note also verse 10, which teaches that the real opposition in all things is happiness verses punishment; that every act has one of these two results, otherwise everything would be a compound in one. -- RLM]
The Lord has revealed that he created or organized this earth for a definite purpose: the earth was created to provide a place where our spirits could come down from our premortal state and obtain physical bodies and grow and progress while being tested or proven to see if we would obey God's commandments while inhabiting these mortal bodies. (Abr 3:25.) Such an earthly probation could not be possible if we were strictly physical, subject only to natural laws. The commandments of God (law) come from God by revelation to our spirits and can be either accepted or rejected by those same spirits. If the spirit receives and desires to obey a commandment from God (righteousness), it can direct the body to obey that commandment; and if the spirit refuses to receive and obey that commandment from God (wickedness), it exerts less control over the physical body with its natural influences. (2 Ne 9:29; Mosi 3:19.) So, the physical body is influenced by spiritual forces as well as natural forces. This is possible because we are a dual (compound) being composed of both a spirit and a physical body that interact with each other, giving us life, sensibility, and agency, or the capability to act for ourselves as well as to be acted upon.
Lehi went through a series of hypothetical propositions to demonstrate that if there were no God nor a law given by him to his children (which presupposes a spirit capable of receiving that commandment or law), there could be no wickedness nor its opposite, righteousness. Without righteousness or wickedness, there could be no happiness nor misery and hence no purpose in the creation of the world. Joseph Smith revealed to us that happiness is the object [not the subject who is God -- RLM] and design of our existence. If we deny that there is a God who has given us his laws, and also deny that we have a spirit that is free to obey or disobey those laws, we are denying the very object and design of our existence. In advocating such a universe where there is no such thing as happiness, we are deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are anything but mechanical extensions of the physical universe, with no control over our destiny. It seems that Lehi was defining existence itself in terms of independence of action with a certain amount of control over our future state: "If ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin [Satan's plan -- RLM]. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away." (2 Ne 2:13; emphasis added.)
The Fall of Man
Another great contribution of 2 Nephi 2 is the added knowledge it gives concerning the fall of man; how the transgression of Adam and Eve affected not only them, but all their progeny as well as all other things that were created.
Because of the rise and influence of the mechanistic view previously mentioned, many people in our day look upon the biblical account of the fall as mythological and therefore not to be taken too seriously. However, to the reader of 2 Nephi 2 who has received a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, there is a confirmation that the fall really did occur. This account also throws greater light on other doctrines such as the origin of man, which are intrinsically associated with the fall.
Many Christians who accept the biblical account of the fall feel that the transgression of Adam and Eve was a terrible sin or disaster that should not have occurred. If only Adam and Eve had not sinned, they claim, the world since that time would have been a much better place to live, without the misery and woe we find in it today. In contrast to this incorrect view, Lehi revealed that the fall was planned by God. There was "divine purpose" involved. Even though Adam and Eve were warned by God of the consequences of partaking of the forbidden fruit, "the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself." (2 Ne 2:16.) The Lord knew that Adam and Eve would exercise that agency and would fall. After the fall, the Lord explained that "all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." (2 Ne 2:24.)
As mentioned previously, the earth did not come into existence by chance but was created by God through the word of his power to bring about his eternal purposes. Besides creating our first parents, he also created "the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and ... all things which are created." (2 Ne 2:15; emphasis added.) One of the purposes of the creation of the earth was to provide a place where waiting spirits in heaven (the future posterity of Adam and Eve as well as the spirits of the animal world) could come to receive mortal bodies. Bodies of flesh and bone are necessary for happiness in this life as well as in the life hereafter. This purpose could not have been fulfilled without the fall. Evidently the transgression of Adam and Eve caused a change in their physical bodies (as well as in the whole physical world), which made possible physical birth (Moses 5:11; 2 Ne 2:19-25) as well as physical death (Alma 42:2-9; 2 Ne 2:5). Lehi explained that if Adam and Eve had not fallen, this change would not have taken place, and they never would have had children. Consequently there never would have been a human race: "Behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children.... Adam fell that men might be." (2 Ne 2:22, 23, 25; emphasis added.)
Since animals and plants are a part of "all things" that were created, evidently they also -- without the fall -- would "have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created" and would not have been able to reproduce (and die). Other modern scripture indicates that all living organisms (people, animals, and plants) have spirits. These scriptures define life as beginning when the spirit is placed into the physical body. It seems that death involves the removal of that spirit from the physical body so that the body becomes inanimate or lifeless. (Mt 27:50.) The idea that the fall was necessary to inaugurate reproduction (as well as death) among living organisms, wherein a spirit is placed into the physical body (or taken out), is incompatible with Darwin's theory of organic evolution. Russell points out the logical inconsistencies that result when Christians claim to believe in the Bible -- which teaches the fall of man -- and at the same time accept theories that rule out the fall of Adam.
Darwinism has had many effects upon man's outlook on life and the world, in addition to the extrusion of purpose of which I have already spoken. The absence of any sharp line between men and apes is very awkward for theology. When did men get souls? Was the Missing Link capable of sin and therefore worthy of hell? Did Pithecanthropus Erectus have moral responsibility? Was Homo Pekinienis damned? Did Piltdown Man go to heaven? Any answer must be arbitrary.
Since most modern theories of organic evolution still depend upon chance mutation (which of necessity depends upon the birth process), the survival of the fittest (which of necessity depends upon the death process), and millions of years for these processes to have been taking place (not just 6,000 years since the fall), it is very difficult to retain one's belief in the doctrines taught in 2 Ne 2 (and other modern scripture) and at the same time accept purely "naturalistic" explanations of the origin of man.
God Is a God of Law and Justice
As mentioned previously, a natural consequence of accepting a "naturalistic" or "mechanistic" philosophy is to reject the idea of a moral law in the universe, a law of which God is the author. Since most of those who advocate this philosophy claim there is no God, it follows that the concept of sin as the breaking of a commandment or law of God is illogical. To them, what is morally right or wrong is not determined by God's will but by a consensus of society. To achieve a better world to live in, they propose that we manipulate our environment until our behavior coincides with this consensus.
An offshoot of this naturalistic philosophy is advocated by some who say that there is a God but that there is also an eternal (self-existing) moral law in the universe that exists independent of God (no God at any time is the author of this law). Some even suggest that God became God by obeying such a law, which implies that the law is ultimately the sovereign power in the universe. In such a universe, it would be more reasonable for people to worship the law (which incidentally has no body, parts, or passions [like the God of Christianity -- RLM]) since it is more powerful than God and he is subject to it.
In contrast to these views, Lehi again reminds us that the terms God, law, and sin are bi-conditional to each other: to deny that any one of them exists is to deny that the others exist, and to affirm that any one of them exists is to affirm that the others exist: "If ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin.... And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth;... wherefore, all things must have vanished away." (2 Ne 2:13.)
Lehi's statement clearly indicates that moral laws in the universe do not exist independent of God: if there is no law, there is no God, and if there is no God, there is no law; for God is always the author of law. He further taught that the laws of God are "given unto men" and that people "are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil." (2 Ne 2:5.) In still another passage, he stated that not only is God the author of law, but that he will judge us as to how we kept his law and then reward or punish us accordingly: "All men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed ..." (2 Ne 2:10; emphasis added.)
The Effects of the Atonement of Christ
Lehi revealed to us that it is possible for Christ to save us from the effects of breaking these very laws He has given us. Because Adam and Eve broke God's law in the garden of Eden, they and all their posterity became subject to spiritual and temporal death: "By the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever." (2 Ne 2:5 [see also 2 Ne 9:6-9 -- RLM].
As a result of the atonement of Christ, the effects of this broken law (spiritual and temporal death) will eventually be overcome by all people unconditionally when they are resurrected (overcome temporal death) and are then brought back into the presence of God (overcome spiritual death) to be judged of Christ: "Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.... There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according tot he flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead.... And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him." (2 Ne 2:6, 8, 10.)
If there had been no atonement, the effect of Adam and Eve's transgression would have been everlasting: Satan would have held us captive to do his will forever. (2 Ne 9:6-9.) The atonement, however, made it possible for us to be free to follow either God or Satan: "The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not be to acted upon.... Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedienet unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil." (2 Ne 2:26-27; emphasis added.)
Satan was allow to retain a certain influence or power over the physical world, which includes our physical bodies. Through our fallen flesh, Satan has the power to tempt and try us. But through the power of the atonement, our spirits are innocent when they come into this life and are subject to the influence of God's spirit as long as we do not give in to the flesh: "And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom." (2 Ne 2:28-29; emphasis added.)
The effects of the fall and the atonement were to place us in a position were we are subject to two external forces or influences, one from God acting upon our spirits to do good and one from Satan acting upon our flesh to do evil. (Alma 3:26-27; 29:4-5.) [Flesh may refer to our fallen natures, not just the physical body--RLM.] The fact that we are subject to these two opposing forces or alternatives (good and evil), and are free to choose between them, makes it possible for us to experience either happiness or misery. When we choose to follow Satan, we become subject to the effects of a broken law, which is spiritual death. This results in misery. However, if we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge to him that we are sorry for breaking his laws, repent, are baptized, and develop a faith in Christ's redemptive powers, we are saved from the effect of the broken law by the intercession of Christ. Rather than being punished (spiritual death and misery), we gain happiness through the atonement of Christ:
"Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.... Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.... And ... men come unto God ... to be judged of him.... Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement." (2 Ne 2:7, 9-10; emphasis added.)
Happiness, then, would not be possible without the possibility of its alternative, misery. To be physical machines subject only to natural laws, to be slaves of God subject only to his power, or for that matter to be slaves of Lucifer, could not bring happiness: "For it musts needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so,... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.... And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God." (2 Ne 2:11, 13.)
Besides bringing us the happiness that results from overcoming opposition, our physical bodies also add to our happiness. In fact, gaining a physical but immortal body in the resurrection makes it possible for us to ultimately gain a fulness of joy. (D&C 93:33.) God's great purpose or goal was to make it possible for us to gain happiness. That goal could not have been achieved without the fall and the atonement. Lehi summarizes this as follows:
To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air [note the order -- RLM] ... it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life;... Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.... And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden.... And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they wold have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Ne 2:15, 16, 19, 22-25; emphasis added.)
Summary and Conclusions
If the universe were such that there were no God, and natural law was the sovereign power in the universe ("naturalism"), then there would be no commandments of God (God's laws) and we would be mere physical machines with no spirits or freedom to act. In such a universe, there would be no such thing as breaking a commandment of God, and therefore there could have been no fall of man or the possibility of sin. If there were no sin or fall, there would be no need for an atonement and consequently no need for a Christ. Hence, Jesus would not be the Christ. Such are the implications of the naturalistic viewpoint.
God has spoken to our modern generation through the Book of Mormon. The main message of that book (as stated in the title page) is "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God" The Book of Mormon contains the inspired words of Lehi, who refuted the premises of naturalism, point by point. He stated that there is a God who created this earth and all living things therein, including man. There was a fall of man (which furthered God's purpose), which introduced birth, death, opposition, and sin into this world. There was an atonement provided to remove the effects of the fall, which were spiritual and temporal death. God authors laws for our benefit to lead us to happiness. If we break these laws (sin), there is an atonement provided to wipe away our sins on condition of repentance. Jesus met the requirements necessary for the atonement and is therefore the Christ.
If one carefully and prayerfully reads the Book of Mormon and receives a confirmation through the power of the Holy Ghost that the events and doctrines related in it are true, one avoids accepting false teachings and philosophies that lead to a disregard for God's scripture. Such a disregard would lead to the breaking of God's commandments, which come to us through the scriptures, the prophets, and personal revelation. Hence, by reading and accepting the words contained in the Book of Mormon, we are motivated to keep God's commandments, and our lives are blessed.
"God, Natural Law, and the Doctrine and Covenants"
Lamar E. Garrard, in H. Dean Garrett and Rex C. Reeve, Jr., eds, Doctrines for Exaltation: The 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants (SLC: Deseret Book Co., 1989), pp. 55-76.
Which came first, natural law or God? It is my thesis that God came first, for natural law in our universe has its origin in the mind of our God: he thinks and plans ahead according to his wisdom as to how he wants the elements to behave and then has the power to command them to behave in that prescribed orderly and consistent manner. That prescription is a natural law. The orderly and consistent manner in which the elements obey these commandments is not natural law itself but the product of God's wisdom and power. Sometimes God commands the elements to change their behavior from that which they have consistently done in the past to a new behavior which we are not used to observing. We call that a miracle. Sometimes Christ intentionally performed these miracles during his earthly ministry as evidence to the Jews that he had power over the elements, that he was indeed the Lord God over the universe.
Some have taken the position that natural laws existed before any God. If such were the case, these natural laws would be self-existing: they would not have originated in the mind of a God according to his wisdom and knowledge and would not have depended upon his power for their enforcement. Proponents of this theory feel that because God would then not be the author [of] these self-existing laws, he would not have the power to change or revoke them. His role then would have been similar to that of a scientist who merely discovers these self-existing natural laws and then works with them rather than creating them. Miracles would be explained away as God's manipulating the elements in a manner with which we are not familiar: he would be using higher natural laws that he had discovered and worked with but of which man was not yet aware. It is proposed that such views have risen in the minds of some because they have unwittingly accepted some of the premises of the philosophy of naturalism without critically examining this philosophy itself and what it implies. To understand why some began to believe in natural laws that are self-existing, it is necessary to trace historically the rise of this philosophy, as science also rose and developed. Of necessity, our discussion will cover such subjects as God, man, physical matter, and spirit matter, since they are all interrelated with the subject of natural law.
Historical Perspective
A better understanding of the rise of the philosophy of naturalism can be gained by discussing some of the beliefs adopted by the Christian church before the advent of naturalism, since the naturalistic way of looking at the universe emerged partially as a reaction against these doctrines and beliefs. These adopted doctrines and beliefs came from the teachings of Saint Augustine (350-430) and Saint Thomas Aquinas (1227-1274) and became part of the Christian outlook on the nature of the universe. These two men based many of their teachings on certain statements made in the Bible, but they were also greatly influenced by the Greek philosophers. They both taught that God is eternal (self-existent) and is all-powerful and all-knowing. According to Augustine, God created matter out of nothing (ex nihilo); he also created all other things in the universe, including time, space, and the laws governing matter in time and space. "Thus everything that is or ever shall be is a creation of God and must follow His laws and will." Later Aquinas taught much the same thing concerning the origin of the universe. Augustine taught that man is a union of soul and body and that the soul, although immaterial, directs the body. The soul did not exist before the body in which it dwells. Later, Aquinas taught that God created the soul which was added to the body at birth. Both men taught that the soul of man, once created, was immortal and continued to exist after the death of the body.
Man's views of the nature of the universe began to change somewhat in relation to the Christian outlook -- which had been greatly influenced by the teachings of Augustine and Aquinas -- during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries [1700s through 1900s]. Influenced by scientific methodology and discoveries, some tended to take a more "naturalistic" view of the nature of the universe. Some of the early areas of investigation were astronomy and physics. The scientists soon learned to base their conclusions only upon observations that could be made by man through the use of his physical senses or through the use of instruments that aided or extended the physical senses -- the telescope, for example. This method became necessary because the scientists-- observations of nature did not always agree with what the philosophers and church authorities had said or were saying. Since the scientists' observations could be verified by any competent observer, there was a tendency by some to look at the scientists as newer and more reliable authorities than the philosophers and theologians.
Another feature of the scientific method gave the scientists still more influence. When they repeated their observations under similar conditions, they obtained the same results as before. After many repeated observations with identical results, they were able to accurately predict events in the future, based on the conformity and order of these past observations. Nevertheless, the assumption that nature will behave the same way in the future as it has done in the past is an "induction" that is not deductively valid, even though it works. The power to predict (or control) and be accurate in those predictions brought remarkable success to science and made it an even greater authority in the minds of many.
But science has another goal besides prediction and control, and that goal is to explain reasonably why things happen as they do. Since induction does not reasonably explain why the universe is consistent and orderly (which gives the scientist this power to predict), another approach was needed. For Robert Boyle (1627-1691) and Isaac Newton (1642-1727) the explanation was simple: the elements were merely obeying the laws prescribed by God and therefore were acting in a consistent and orderly manner. For other scientists, however, those who were reacting against the church men and who wanted to eliminate God from the picture by basing all their explanations on a physical, or natural, foundation, there had to be an alternate explanation: they felt that matter was conforming to self-existent and unchangeable natural laws. From a metaphysical point of view, they were substituting one hypothetical construct (self-existing natural laws) for another (God) in order to account for order and consistency in the universe. Now, they could give a reasonable and logical explanation for why they were able to predict (and later on to control) and get the same results in the future that they had obtained in the past under the same experimental conditions -- without giving credit to God's wisdom and power.
As time went on and science became more credible, Boyle's and Newton's explanations of why the universe was consistent and orderly became less popular and the explanations based on the theory of self-existing natural laws became more popular. Even today, the reason given for the scientist's ability to reliably predict the occurrence of future events (which also gives him the ability to control), is to imply that matter will (or must) conform to, or act in accordance with, certain "self-existent natural laws." For example, we take physical measurements with our instruments, represent them as points on a system of coordinates, and then draw a graph or smooth curve through the points. Or, we may represent the measurement by a mathematical equation or a formula of some sort. We then call the curve, the equation, or the formula the "law," of such-and-such. As soon as we use the word "law" we are implying that matter must act in the future in accordance with these curves, equations, or formulas. We are not just describing events that occurred in the past, but we are implying that there is some sort of enforcement agency that we can rely on to give consistency and order in the universe: that enforcement agency is self-existing natural laws. A philosopher of science, John G. Kemeny, points out the predicament of the scientists: when they use the word law they have become philosophers. They are no longer objective scientists who report only what they physically observe but are delving into metaphysics, whether they realize it or not.
"It is a great pity for the Philosophy of Science that the word 'law' was ever introduced. The usage of 'law' carries the connotation that it can somehow be disobeyed. The idea of obeying or disobeying should not have entered these discussions at all. I am afraid this is part of our tendency to try to recreate the universe in our own image. It may perhaps date back to the primitive idea of God. To primitive people, God is but a very large and powerful human being.... In mythology we find examples where the gods are endowed with human strength and human weaknesses. It is perhaps a remnant from these days that we associate the idea of a law with nature. Presumably the laws of nature were passed by God. They were laid down on a heavenly piece of paper.... These are the things that nature must obey. There are even recorded examples of violations of these laws of nature, and these are called miracles.
"We must realize that nature is not like a human being. Nature cannot obey or disobey. The laws of nature do not prescribe but, rather describe what happens. A law of nature is but a description of what actually takes place."
One advocate of naturalism in our day was the noted philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell. He pointed out that "before Galileo [1564-1642] it had been thought that a lifeless body will not move of itself.... Only living beings, it was thought, could move without help of some external agency." The heavenly bodies were kept in motion by some supernatural power. As long as these views prevailed, "physics as an independent science was impossible, since the physical world was thought to be not casually self-contained. But Galileo and Newton [1642-1727] between them proved that all the movement of the planets, and of dead matter on the earth, proceed according to the law of physics, and once started, will continue indefinitely. There is no need of mind in this process."
The philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650) went one step further in the acceptance of the metaphysical concept that all things that happen in the universe can be attributed to the operation of self-existing natural law: he proposed that animals did not have spirits but were mere machines subject to natural law. Later, the physician and philosopher Julien de La Mettrie (1709-1751) proposed that even humans have no spirits. At one time he fell ill with a fever. "It was during this fever and his realization that his mental powers were diminished along with his physical powers that the conviction came to him with the force of conversion that thought is after all nothing but the result of mechanical action of the brain and nervous system.... Being unable to distinguish between thought and the soul, his new belief meant to him that the soul is as mortal as the brain and that man is but a machine -- as much so as Descartes believed the animals to be."
Further discoveries in science seemed to contradict even more the teachings of Augustine and Aquinas and to call the reliability of their teachings increasingly into question. The scientists were discovering that matter could be transformed from one state to another but that there were no examples of it ever being created or destroyed. J. P. Joule (1818-1889) demonstrated in his classical experiment that heat or energy can be converted to work, and work converted to heat or energy, but neither could be destroyed. In this climate of scientific discoveries and ideas in 1847 in Berlin the scientist and physician Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) presented his famous paper on the law of conservation of energy. "Nobody ever 'discovered' the law of conservation of energy. The idea had been developing since Newton. Joule a few years earlier had demonstrated the fact that heat has a mechanical equivalent. Helmholtz brought together much of the previous work and gave the theory mathematical formulation. He was still being the physicist within physiology, for one of his motives was to show that this principle works within the bodily machine, that the living organism is no exception to the laws of physics. This paper aroused vigorous discussion. It was the aim of Helmholtz and others to eliminate the idea that man has a spirit inside of him (vitalism) that directs his physical body and accounts for his behavior. They were eventually successful in promoting the idea that man is a physical machine and his behavior results solely from the interaction of self-existing natural laws with physical matter.
"In 1845,... four young, enthusiastic and idealistic physiologists, all pupils of the great Johannes Müller, all later to be very famous, met together and formed a pact.... They were ... Carl Ludwig,... Emil du Bois-Reymond, Ernst Brücke and Hermann Von Helmholtz.... They were joining forces to fight vitalism, the view that life involves forces other than those found in the interaction of inorganic bodies. The great Johannes Müller was a vitalist, but these men were of the next generation. Du Bois and Brücke even pledged between them a solemn oath that they would establish and compel the acceptance of this truth: 'No other forces than the common physical chemical ones are active within the organism.' ... Thirty-five years later, Helmholtz and du Bois in Berlin, Ludwig at Leipzig and Brücke at Vienna saw their aspiration well on its way to complete acceptance."
Helmholtz and his associates were not the only ones who promoted the idea that life itself involves only the operation of self-existing natural laws on physical matter. Russell pointed out that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) helped place the capstone on the disbelief that man has a spirit within him to account for his behavior. According to the evolutionists, the origin of life did not involve the placing of an organized spirit into an already organized physical body; rather, life originated by chance operation of natural laws on physical matter. According to Charles Darwin, the various species (with no spirit in them) then developed by the operation of self-existing natural law on physical matter in terms of mutation and survival of the fittest. According to this theory, it took millions of years to develop the various species by these naturalistic methods. Furthermore, Russell point out, these theories helped to bring about a disbelief in "purpose" being involved in the origin and continued existence of the universe, for such laws do not think, do not plan ahead, or for that matter, do not have body, parts, or passions. This, of course, eliminated a need for a God who thinks (has all wisdom and knowledge), who planned ahead the creation of the world with all its forms of life, who planned ahead the events that would take place on this planet from beginning to end, and who is concerned and very much involved in what takes place on this earth.
"We know of 'purpose' in human affairs, and we may suppose that there are cosmic purposes, but in science it is the past that determines the future, not the future the past. 'Final' causes, therefore, do not occur in the scientific account of the world.
"In this connection Darwin's work was decisive. What Galileo and Newton had done for astronomy, Darwin did for biology....
"It was not the fact of evolution, but the Darwinian mechanism of the struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest that made it possible to explain adaptation without bringing in 'purpose.' Random variation and natural selection use only efficient causes....
"Darwinism has had many effects upon man's outlook on life and the world, in addition to the extrusion of purpose of which I have already spoken. The absence of any sharp line between men and apes is very awkward for theology. When did men get souls? Was the Missing Link capable of sin and therefore worthy of hell? Did Pithecanthropus Erectus have moral responsibility? Was Homo Pekinienis damned? Did Piltdown Man go to heaven."
In summary, we see that during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, a "naturalistic" philosophy accompanied the rise of science, wherein some men advocated contrasting views to those of Augustine and Aquinas. They claimed there is no self-existing, all-powerful, and all-knowing God who with a mind and with a divine power created, ex nihilo, man with his spirit, matter, space, time, and all the laws governing matter in space and time. Rather, the naturalistic philosophers held, matter, space, and time are self-existent, and the laws governing matter in space and time are self-existent. These laws replace God, for it is through them that our universe, including life on this planet, came into existence by chance and will probably also go out of existence by chance. Since the events that have happened in the past and those that will occur in the future are not the result of God's wisdom and power but rather the operation of self-existent laws over matter, God has been replaced by self-existing natural law, which has no mind or purpose, as the sovereign power over this universe.
The philosophy of naturalism not only eliminates God from the picture but also eliminates the spirit in man to account for his thinking and resultant behavior. Man becomes then a machine composed only of physical matter acting in accordance with self-existing natural laws. Russell felt, however, that man can become a sort of a "god," not by acquiring faith in God but by acquiring a knowledge of all self-existing natural laws and then manipulating and controlling the environment by use of them. According to this view, a "god" is nothing more than a super engineer.
"In the pre-scientific world, power was God's. There was not much that man could do even in the most favorable circumstances, and the circumstances were liable to become unfavorable if men incurred the divine displeasure....
"In the scientific world, all this is different. It is not by prayer and humility that you cause things to go as you wish, but by acquiring a knowledge of natural laws.... The power of science has no known limits. We were told that faith could remove mountains, but no one believed it; we are told that the atomic bomb can remove mountains, and everyone believes it.
"It is true that if we ever did stop to think about the cosmos we might find it uncomfortable. The sun may grow cold or blow up; the earth may lose its atmosphere and become uninhabitable. Life is a brief, small, and transitory phenomenon in an obscure corner, not at all the sort of thing that one would make a fuss about if one were not personally concerned.... Let us get on with the job of fertilizing the desert, melting Arctic ice, killing each other with perpetually improving techniques. Some of our activities will do good, some harm, but all alike will show our power. And so, in this godless universe, we shall become gods."
The Doctrine and Covenants and Natural Law
The Doctrine and Covenants reveals to us that God is a thinking, intelligent being, for he knows all things (D&C 38:2; 93:26) and is all powerful (D&C 61:1). All things are present before his eyes (D&C 38:2) so that he can comprehend all things.
"He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (D&C 88:41.)
Furthermore, the Doctrine and Covenants states that God plans ahead what he is going to do, for he tells us that his "designs, and ... purposes ... cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught." (D&C 3:1.) Then when God commands the elements, they obey him. (D&C 133:23.) In this manner, he tells us, "the world was made, and all things came by me." (D&C 38:3.) God is able to speak to the elements by the power of his Spirit: "As the words have gone forth out of my mouth even so shall they be fulfilled,... in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit. For by the power of my Spirit created I them." (D&C 29:30-31.)
It is through his Spirit -- the light of Christ, which proceeds from his presence to fill the immensity of space -- that God's commands or power are relayed to the elements so that not only the earth, but also the sun, the moon, and the stars were created.
"Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
"As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
"As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
"And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand....
"Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space." (D&C 88:7-10, 12.)
Furthermore, the Doctrine and Covenants depicts Christ as a divine monarch sitting upon his throne, who not only created the universe but continues to command or govern the elements through the Light of Christ: "The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things." (D&C 88:13.)
God is depicted as the author of natural law for he is the one who has given the commandment or law to the heavenly bodies that causes them to move in definite orbits, thereby resulting in conformity and order. We should give God credit for this conformity and order, for it is a result of his majesty and power.
"And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;
"And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehendeth the earth and all the planets.
"And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons....
"the earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light my night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God....
"Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power." (D&C 88:42-45, 47; italics added.)
Joseph Smith emphasized that the universe did not come into existence by chance but was created by God. God is a thinking, intelligent person whose purpose and wisdom were used to formulate natural laws and whose power is now used to govern the elements, resulting in such regularity and order. Without these laws of God and his power, the universe would fall into chaos:
"If man has grown to wisdom and is capable of discerning the propriety of laws to govern nations, what less can be expected from the Ruler and Upholder of the universe?... He is perfect intelligence, and ... His wisdom is alone sufficient to govern and regulate the mighty creations and worlds which shine and blaze with such magnificence and splendor over our heads, as though touched with His finger and moved by His Almighty word. And if so, it is done and regulated by law; for without law all must certainly fall into chaos....
"Think for a moment, of the greatness of the Being who created the Universe.... the voice of reason, the language of inspiration, and the Spirit of the Living God, our Creator, teaches us ... [and] the heavens declare the glory of a God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork; and a moment's reflection is sufficient to teach every man of common intelligence, that all these are not the mere productions of chance, nor could they be supported by any power less than an Almighty hand."
Joseph Smith did not give self-existing law -- which does not think, plan, or have purpose and also does not have body, parts, or passions -- credit for the uniformity and order in the universe. Rather, he taught that the universe is governed and upheld by a powerful God who has body, parts, and passions and who is in the form of man. "If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible ... you would see him like a man in form -- like yourselves."
God takes credit not only for the movement of the heavenly bodies but also for the physical changes that take place above the earth in the atmosphere, on the earth, and in the earth itself. For example, since he is responsible for creating natural law, he is ultimately responsible for the rain and snow and for the budding and blossoming of plants. He told William Marks and Newel K. Whitney to "settle up their business speedily and journal from the land of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, send again the snows upon the earth." He also told them, "will I not make solitary places to bud and blossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord." (D&C 117:1, 7.)
Joseph Smith explained that physical matter must obey the decrees or commandments of God (natural laws) until these laws are changed or revoked by a different commandment from God: "God has made certain decrees which are fixed and immovable; for instance, God set the sun, the moon, and the stars in the heavens, and gave them their laws, conditions and bounds, which they cannot pass, except by His commandments; they all move in perfect harmony in their sphere and order, and are as lights, wonders, and signs unto us. The sea also has its bounds which it cannot pass."
God can revoke a former commandment or law given to the elements for he tells us that at a future time he "shall command the great deep [sea], and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land." (D&C 133:23.) He also will utter his voice "which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found" (D&C 133:22) so that the earth will be renewed and transfigured. (D&C 63:20-21.) These scriptures imply that when these great physical and geological changes take place, they will not take thousands of years to occur, because the elements will be obeying God. If we were to restrict such changes to the operation of self-existing natural laws according to the modern geological theory of uniformitarianism, the usual assumption is that such changes would take millions of years to occur.
The earth itself first existed as a plan in the mind of God. Then, according to that plan, God commanded the elements to come together in a prescribed manner and they did. Later, the physical structure and composition of the earth, as well as its location in reference to God's residence, was changed by God's power to a telestial sphere when Adam and Eve fell. Furthermore, its structure and composition will be changed to a terrestrial sphere at the second coming of Christ. Finally, through the power of God, after the Millennium it will be changed to a celestial sphere and rolled back into the presence of God. The scriptures indicate the last three changes would not take thousands of years to occur, because they result from a decree or commandment of God. This would seem to indicate that the first change (the Creation) did not necessarily have to take place over a period of thousands of year of time, because it too resulted from decrees or commandments of God rather than from the operation of self-existent natural laws.
Even though God can command physical matter to undergo certain changes, even to the point of changing water to wine or water to earth (John 2:1-11; 1 Nephi 17:50), he tells us that he cannot create physical matter ex nihilo. Contrary to what Augustine and Aquinas taught, the Doctrine and Covenants reveals that the fundamental particles of physical matter (element) are eternal (D&C 93:33) or self-existent: God cannot command matter to come into existence, neither can he destroy matter or cause it to cease to exist. Joseph Smith elaborated that fundamental matter or "element" was not created ex nihilo, for "anything created cannot be eternal; and earth, water, etc., had their existence in an elementary state, from eternity." He further explained that the word created as used in the scriptures "should be formed, or organized." God organized the world out of chaotic matter or element by his wisdom and power, but the basic matter itself is eternal or self-existent and has always coexisted with God.
Joseph Smith stated: "Now, the word create came from the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos -- chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed.... They had no beginning, and can have no end."
So far as man's physical body is concerned, God first organized the earth from these fundamental particles of physical matter called element, which are eternal or self-existent. He later organized, or formed, man from the dust of this same earth. (Genesis 2:7.) Therefore, it is through the wisdom and power of God that these elementary particles of matter eventually became organized into the intricate and complex machine we call the human body. This organization of man's physical body from the dust of the earth did not necessarily have to take place over a long period of time, for God reorganized the body of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, and will also reorganize the physical bodies of the dead, which have decayed to dust, in the resurrection in a relatively short period of time.
In a sense, man's body can be considered to be eternal and have no end, even though it can go through various states of organization and reorganization. It is essentially composed of self-existing elements, which are eternal and have no end, even though they existed at first in an unorganized state.
The Doctrine and Covenants also teaches that besides fundamental physical matter, or element, there also exists spirit matter, which at the present time we cannot see:
"There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;
"We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter." (D&C 131:7-8.)
Man's spirit, which resembles his physical body, is composed of this spirit matter and can exist either separately or combined with the physical body. (D&C 93:33-34.) The Prophet wrote: "In tracing the thing to the foundation, and looking at it philosophically, we shall find a very material difference between the body and the spirit; the body is supposed to be organized matter, and the spirit, by many, is thought to be immaterial, without substance. With this latter statement we should beg to differ, and state the spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is more pure, elastic and refined matter than the body; that it existed before the body, can exist in the body; and will exist separate from the body when the body will be mouldering in the dust; and will in the resurrection, be again united with it."
The spirit of man was organized by God, to be in God's likeness and image, from elementary spirit matter, or "intelligence," which "was not created or made, neither indeed can be." (D&C 93:29.) Like fundamental physical matter, fundamental spirit matter did not come about through the wisdom and power of God. Hence, the spirit of man is eternal -- having no beginning or having no end -- in the sense that "the intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end.... That which has a beginning may have an end." It should be emphasized, however, that through the wisdom and creative power of God this intelligence becomes organized as spirit offspring of God the Father to be in his likeness and image. Besides the spirits of men, God was also responsible for the organization of the spirits of the animals before their physical bodies were organized upon the earth. Rather than life beginning on this earth as a result of the chance operation of self-existing natural laws upon physical matter, it began when God placed a previously organized spirit into a physical body that he had organized to be in the image or likeness of that spirit. The spirit then animated that body (vitalism) and this was the beginning of mortal life for that kind of animal. Thereafter, according to God's prescriptions or commands, these "classes of beings" reproduced after their own kind in their "destined order or sphere of creation." (D&C 77:3.)
Even though both elementary physical matter and elementary spirit matter are self-existent, without the wisdom and power of God, neither the physical body nor the spirit body would exist in its organized state but would have remained forever in that eternal but unorganized state. The existence of the spirit and physical bodies of man and the animals is explained on the basis of a law created by God: evidently God designed and planned what their spirits as well as what their physical bodies should look like and then, with his power, he prescribed that the "intelligence" and "element" be organized according to that design. Therefore, each birth process -- which produces a spirit or a physical body -- produces a body of that previously planned design. Even plant life came about through a law created by God. The tree, the herb, and the fruit also were organized into particular shapes and textures from fundamental matter as a result of a decree or commandment of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "God has set many signs on the earth, as well as in the heavens; for instance, the oak of the forest, the fruit of the tree, the herb of the field, all bear a sign that seed hath been planted here; for it is a decree of the Lord that every tree, plant, and herb bearing seed should bring forth of its kind, and cannot come forth after any other law."
God organized man's spirit from uncreated intelligence [through the birth process -- RLM], gave him agency, and then held him accountable for his actions in the premortal state. He next placed man's spirit in an organized physical body [which also was created only through the birth process -- RLM] to activate his body (vitalism), continued to give him agency, and also continued to hold him accountable for his actions in this mortal state. On the other hand, if man had come into existence as a result of chance operation of self-existing laws acting upon physical matter (a physical body with no spirit), he would have been a robot, a physical machine acting according to these laws. If such were the case, he could not act independently with agency but could only be acted upon by outside forces or powers. In such a universe, there would be no need for moral laws, for man would not be responsible for his actions any more than an automobile is morally responsible for what it does when rolling down a hill without a driver.
[And how are the spirit and physical bodies created? Through the birth process. God does not "invent" or "create" life forms. They have always existed. There have always been, and always will be, concurrently, spirit beings, mortal beings, and resurrected beings. See the quote above from Teachings, p. 198. "Shall I say that the seeds of vegetables were planted here by the Characters that framed and built this world -- that the seeds of every plant composing the vegetable kingdom were brought from another world? This would be news to many of you. Who brought them here? It matters little to us whether it was John, James, William, Adam, or Bartholomew who brought them; but it was some Being who had power to frame this earth with its seas, valleys, mountains, and rivers, and cause it to teem with vegetables and animal life. Here let me state to all philosophers of every class upon the earth, When you tell me that father Adam was made as we make adobes from the earth, you tell me what I deem an idle tale. When you tell me that the beasts of the field were produced in that manner, you are speaking idle words devoid of meaning. There is no such thing in all the eternities where the Gods dwell. Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them to propagate their species, and they were commanded to multiply and replenish [fill] the earth. The offspring of Adam and Eve are commanded to take the rude elements, and, by the knowledge of God has given, to covert them into everything required ..." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:285-286.) "God has made His children like Himself to stand erect, and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all His works and given them the same attributes which He Himself possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that we, or that will ever be." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 11:22.) "But the Gospel tells us that we are the sons and daughters of God whom we serve. Some say, 'We are the children of Adam and Eve.' So we are, and they are the children of our Heavenly Father." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 222.) -- RLM]
Conclusion
An examination of the Doctrine and Covenants and the teachings of Joseph Smith indicates that natural law is not self-existent. It is eternal only in the sense that "Eternal Law" is God's law for he created it and "Eternal" is his name: it has a beginning and it may have an end, depending upon the circumstances. It is a command, or prescription, that has its origin in the mind of our God, who is motivated by certain purposes and goals. (Moses 1:39.) He is a thinking, planning, and intelligent being who has the power to cause that prescription to be fulfilled and later to be changed or revoked. Natural law in our universe, or realm, did not exist before our God, it is not above our God, and is not the sovereign power in our universe. In the sense that it is a created thing (since God originated, or created, it) without body, parts, or passions, we should be careful not to worship it, the "created," but instead worship God, the "Creator."
In the teachings of Augustine and Aquinas, physical matter, the spirit of man, and natural law were all considered to be in the same category in the sense that they were all brought into existence ex nihilo [out of nothing -- RLM] through the power of God. When the discoveries in science gave evidence that matter cannot be created or destroyed and when the Prophet Joseph Smith revealed that fundamental physical matter (element) and fundamental spirit matter (intelligence) coexisted [was coeval: "Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era." (American Heritage Dictionary -- online) -- RLM] with God and are self-existent, some have assumed that "natural law" was in this same category and was therefore also self-existent. Once we begin to believe in the self-existence of natural law, however, to be logical and consistent we begin to accept many other beliefs associated with the philosophy of naturalism that are contrary to the revelations in the scriptures and the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. E. A. Burtt, in his book The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science, traced historically the rise of naturalism from medieval to modern times. He points out that many in our day -- even thought they are not philosophers or scientists -- have unwittingly accepted a "naturalistic" outlook that has affected their thinking and outlook on life:
"How curious, after all, is the way in which our moderns think about our world! And it is so novel, too. The cosmology underlying our mental processes is but three centuries old -- a mere infant in the history of thought -- and yet we cling to it with the same embarrassed zeal with which a young father fondles his new-born baby. Like him, we are ignorant enough of its precise nature; like him, we nevertheless take it piously to be ours and allow it a subtly pervasive and unhindered control over our thinking."
Joseph Smith explained that "happiness is the object [not the subject -- RLM] and design of our existence," and it is God [the subject -- RLM] who has planned and "designed our happiness -- and the happiness of all His creatures." But "the great principle of happiness consists in having a body," and life is not possible without a body. If God had not planned and then used his power, unorganized spirit matter or intelligence would have remained in that state forever and there would have been no premortal life and, consequently, no happiness there with spirit bodies. Similarly, without the wisdom and power of God, unorganized physical matter or element would have remained in that state forever and there would have been no mortal life and happiness here without physical bodies to house our spirit bodies. So also, without the wisdom and power of God, all the physical bodies of dead animals and men would remain in that corrupt state forever, and there would be no happiness, which results from obtaining immortal bodies in the resurrection. The Doctrine and Covenants summarizes this concept by indicating that "the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air" in their spirit, mortal (temporal), and spiritual [not "spirit" -- RLM] (resurrected) states and "the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation" is made possible by the wisdom and power of God, so that eventually all living things will share "in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity." (D&C 77:2-3.)
The revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants and the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith indicate that all things exist as they are now as a result of two things: one, the self-existence of matter and the wisdom of God, and two, God's power acting upon self-existent matter. There may be other self-existent qualities or principles associated with matter of which we are not yet aware because they have not yet been revealed. Nevertheless, that does not justify our taking the "naturalistic" position by saying that if we knew them and understood them, then God's wisdom and power would not be needed to account for things as they are now and as they will be in the future. To do so would not fit the scriptures, for God has said that he made the spirits and physical bodies of men, animals, and plants. He also said that he organized, or created, the earth, sun, moon, and stars, and he takes credit for the existence of all these things as they are now and as they will be in the future. [God also takes credit for massive destructions that he causes through nature. See 3 Nephi 9:1-12. -- RLM]
Let us not deny the wisdom and power of God, by attributing things as they were, as they are now, and as they will be, to the operation of self-existent natural laws. Rather, let us acknowledge that God organized this earth and all things upon its face through his wisdom and power. Even though God has given man enough agency to hold him accountable for his actions, let us acknowledge that He still ultimately controls what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen on this earth. Let us not offend him or kindle his wrath against us by not acknowledging his hand in all things. "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments." (D&C 59:21.)
[For extensive footnotes, see the PDF version.]